How true is that? Yes, we can invest money. But we can also invest time, effort, energy, goods, services, skills, etc. And we can get back more than money too. We can receive knowledge, wisdom, understanding, skills, goods, services, a better world, or even a better situation for one person. The possibilities are without an end in sight. What is charity, but an investment (monetary or otherwise) in a non-monetary result? What is work, but a non-monetary investment in a mostly monetary result?

It is not money that is the root of all evil, but the love of it (aka greed). Money is a means, not an end. Not a final one, anyway.

Sure, sometimes our investments are but a gamble. Sometimes there is no payoff. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Other times, our return is something unexpected in lieu of or in addition to what we expected. And there are also times when the steps between our investment and return are so numerous and complex, we don’t make the connection. The rest of the time, we see the cause and effect with our own eyes.